Scottish Slimmers bought by Scottish entrepreneur in six-figure deal

Scottish weight loss and healthy eating brand Scottish Slimmers is under new ownership following a six-figure acquisition by Best You (Wellbeing) Limited and will be headed up by Scottish entrepreneur Amanda Boyle OBE, who has taken up the role of Chief Executive.

Aberdeen-based Scottish Slimmers delivers group support for people who want to lose weight and improve their lives. It operates in 100 towns and cities across Scotland, employing more than 60 membership managers and staff at its Aberdeen head office.

With more than two decades of experience working with companies and organisations to adapt to change, Amanda’s interests are primarily commercialising innovation and developing high performing teams. In 2017, Amanda was appointed Entrepreneur in Residence at Aberdeen Business School at Robert Gordon University.

Commenting on her new role, Amanda Boyle said:

“Scottish Slimmers is a recognised leader in the weight loss industry and, in a market that’s worth more than £2bn each year, this is a great opportunity to breathe new life into a well-respected brand that needed updating.

“We will remain headquartered in Aberdeen, with a new management team comprising two internal promotions and one external hire.

“Scottish Slimmers is on a mission to transform the way the world thinks about weight loss and wellbeing. Our focus on nutritionally balanced eating plans sets Scottish Slimmers apart from our competitors. No fads or shortcuts, just real food, for real people, with real results.”

Increasingly, Scottish Slimmers is working with employers to encourage employees to make better choices around lifestyle and eating habits. An estimated 137 million working days were lost to sickness in the UK in 2015- 2016 with Scotland’s sickness absence rate 2.5 per cent compared to the 1.9 per cent overall absence rate for the UK in the same period.

Scottish Slimmers has closely identified with the objectives of Scottish Government in its struggle against the increasing population affected by obesity, with two-thirds of people either overweight or obese according to the 2015 Scottish Health Survey. Recently published research identified 13 cancers linked to obesity and e­xcess weight, which is Scotland’s biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking.

Amanda­­ added:

“Our wellbeing is largely the result of our nutritional choices so it’s important to make the right choices. It’s not about taking the fun out of food but adopting a balance between what we like and what we need.

“Research by the BMA (British Medical Association) identified that more people lose more weight, and keep it off, attending groups where there is professional as well as peer support. Scottish Slimmers classes, along with our online and app services, provide the sociable, supportive environment that our members know and love.

“For more than thirty years, the Scottish Slimmers brand has become a byword for weight loss. My aim is to build on that strong heritage with services and products that encompass wellbeing and make us more relevant today.”